How comedian Adam Hills uses sport to relieve the pressures of the spotlight

He's picking up more and more sports

The comedian, TV host and para-standing tennis player on his mission to change the world, one sport at a time.

You’re best known as a comedian and for hosting shows like Spicks And Specks, but you also play world championship-level disability rugby league and para-standing tennis, and have used your platform to advocate for accessibility in sport – starting with league. Why this sport, and how did your advocacy come about? 

Rugby league was my first love. When I was three days old, my dad brought a red and green toy rabbit to the hospital for me, so that I’d support the South Sydney Rabbitohs. I played touch footy at school, then rugby league at high school until my prosthesis began to hold me back [Hills was born without a right foot]. Years later [2017 to be exact], someone tweeted me about the South Sydney Physical Disability Rugby League (PDRL) team. I immediately tracked down a number and called to ask: 1) how I could promote the sport; and 2) whether I could play.

Bear in mind I was 47 years old at this point. I was living in London at the time, and was told that the Warrington Wolves wanted to start up England’s first PDRL team. I contacted someone at the Wolves and helped them get the team off the ground. Since then, I’ve played over 30 matches – for Warrington, for South Sydney and for Australia. I’ve also fractured an ankle, been knocked unconscious, torn a hamstring and torn my IT band. And I wouldn’t change a thing. 

Your latest documentary, Adam Hills: Foot Fault, on 9Now, takes a closer look at the growing sport of para-standing tennis. What is it, for people who don’t know, and where do you hope to see it in the future?

Para-standing tennis is tennis for people with disabilities who don’t use a wheelchair. There are categories for amputees, people with cerebral palsy and those who are short-statured. There’s a massive group of people who thought tennis wasn’t for them. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) sanctioned two tournaments this year – the European Championships in Barcelona and the World Championships in Turin. They’ve also set up a task force to look at the future of the sport under a possible ITF banner.

Tennis Australia are instituting Come and Try Days and also holding tournaments in Australia. The LTA [Lawn Tennis Association] have managed to get para-standing tennis supported in the UK, and it even featured in a showcase at the Play Your Way To Wimbledon finals at Wimbledon. I’d love to see the sport included in the Grand Slams [the US Open held an invitational tournament this year] and eventually make it to the Paralympics. Maybe Brisbane 2032. I’d be 62 by then, but my doubles partner would be 39 and he reckons we can qualify. 

This part of your career must be incredibly rewarding. How does it differ from hosting hit TV shows or doing stand-up in front of thousands?

I find sport to be a great way to clear my head of all the pressures that go along with TV and stand-up. It’s very therapeutic. My favourite nights of the week were rugby league training –taking a train to Warrington to hang out with my mates for a couple of hours, pushing myself physically and learning new skills. I even had a book that I used to write jokes in, but I repurposed it for sketching out rugby league plays. I had put stand-up on hold and am slowly returning to it with a renewed mindset because I’d taken time off to focus on something else for a while. When I play tennis or footy, I can be myself again. 

By all accounts as a kid you played every sport going. You just strapped on the prosthesis and got stuck in at cricket, tennis and footy. Did you ever feel ‘other’ or ‘different’ as a kid or were you raised to believe you were just the same as everyone else?

My parents were told to treat me like any other kid, and let me pick myself up if I fell over. I think that attitude stayed with me and I did all I could to be just like ‘any other normal kid’. I remember playing cricket once on the street, and I fell over when I was going for a run and got run out. One of the other kids said, “Let him have another go, because of his foot,” but I refused to keep batting. I didn't want to be treated any differently.  That stubbornness probably worked against me too, though, because when I was about 12 I was asked to try out for the Paralympics. I didn’t consider myself disabled, and said that if I was gonna play sport it would be against able-bodied people. I sometimes look back on that decision, especially in light of what the Paralympics has become, and wonder what could have been. 

Adam Hills. Image: Supplied

What has changed since you first got involved with PDRL? And are we seeing more women getting involved, too? 

The appearance of PDRL at the 2022 Rugby League World Cup was a huge step in the progression of the sport. An Australian player, Bryce Crane, was named in the Dream Team of the best players from the Men's, Women's, Wheelchair and PDRL teams at the tournament. PDRL also featured on the front cover of Rugby League Week magazine in the UK. The exposure was enormous. The England Team have already started preparing for the next World Cup, as have Australia.

The important thing now is to make sure PDRL is represented in future World Cups. As for the women getting involved, there are definitely a few but we'd like more. We'd also like more kids involved too. Warrington now has a kids team as well, and we're hoping it will expand across the UK. 

How did it feel representing Australia in an official rugby league match?

I was actually given the option of representing England because I am a UK resident, but I chose Australia because the thought of playing for England didn't give me heart flutters. When I said that to the England coach Shaun Briscoe he said, “When you play for your country you should grow an extra foot.” I told him that if I could do that, I wouldn't be playing PDRL in the first place. When I finally pulled on the green and gold jersey, I did indeed get the heart flutters. I've never felt so proud. In fact, I'd make sure the last thing I put on before every game was the jersey. I played some of my best games ever representing Australia, and was awarded the match ball by my teammates for our first game against Wales. Turns out Shaun was right, I did grow an extra foot. 

What sport is next on the horizon for you?

I've been joking that my sports are getting milder and milder. I started with rugby league, then progressed to tennis. I reckon golf might be next, then darts, snooker and finally, disability chess. 

You’ve long practised reiki. How does it help you recharge and balance your myriad commitments?

Reiki for me is like hitting the refresh button on my brain. It just helps me to centre myself, remember what's important, and reconnect with the universe. Unfortunately, I have periods when I am working and travelling so much that I neglect to practise reiki. I then wonder why I'm getting super-stressed and eventually realise I need to sit down in a quiet space and work on my mindfulness again. Actually, thanks for the reminder, I'll make time for some reiki this afternoon now. 

Originally published as How comedian Adam Hills uses sport to relieve the pressures of the spotlight